Editing Marge Simpson (section)

==Character==

===Creation===
[[File:Matt Groening by Gage Skidmore -retouch.jpg|right|thumb|upright|Matt Groening created Marge while waiting in James L. Brooks' office. |alt=A man in glasses and a plaid shirt sits in front of a microphone.]]
[[Matt Groening]] first conceived Marge and the rest of the Simpson family in 1987 in the lobby of producer [[James L. Brooks]]' office. Groening had been called to pitch a series of animated shorts for ''The Tracey Ullman Show'', and had intended to present an adaptation of his ''[[Life in Hell]]'' comic strip. When he realized that animating ''Life in Hell'' would require him to rescind publication rights, Groening decided to go in another direction<ref name="americasfirstfamily">{{cite video |people=BBC |year=2000 |title='The Simpsons': America's First Family (6-minute edit for the season 1 DVD) |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0250735/ |format=DVD |location=UK |publisher=20th Century Fox |access-date=July 1, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170211081722/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0250735/ |archive-date=February 11, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> and hurriedly sketched out his version of a [[dysfunctional family]], naming the characters after members of his own family. Marge was named after Groening's mother Margaret "Marge" Groening, who has said she bears little similarity to the character, stating, "It's really weird to have people think you're a cartoon."<ref name="americasfirstfamily"/><ref>{{cite news |title=Groening's Mom: I'm no Marge Simpson |author=Kuipers, Dean |date=May 12, 1997 |work=[[Dayton Daily News]]}}</ref><ref name=sundvd>{{cite video |people=Groening, Matt: [[Al Jean|Jean, Al]] |year=2007 |title=The Simpsons Movie: A Look Behind the Scenes |medium=DVD |work=[[The Sun (United Kingdom)|The Sun]]}}</ref> Marge's [[Beehive (hair)|beehive]] hairstyle was inspired by the titular Bride in ''[[Bride of Frankenstein]]'' and the style that Margaret Groening wore during the 1960s, although her hair was never blue.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/22/magazine/22wwln-Q4-t.html |title=Questions for Matt Groening–Screen Dreams |access-date=October 31, 2008 |author=Soloman, Deborah |date=July 22, 2007 |work=[[The New York Times Magazine]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111108004049/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/22/magazine/22wwln-Q4-t.html |archive-date=November 8, 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/entertainment/2003818762_realsimpsons030.html |title=The real people behind Homer Simpson and family |access-date=October 31, 2008 |author=Rose, Joseph |date=August 3, 2007 |work=[[The Oregonian]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120525111318/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/entertainment/2003818762_realsimpsons030.html |archive-date=May 25, 2012 }}</ref>

Marge debuted with the rest of the Simpson family on April 19, 1987, in ''The Tracey Ullman Show'' [[The Simpsons shorts|short]] "[[Good Night (The Simpsons short)|Good Night]]".{{sfn|Richmond & Coffman|1997 |p=14}}{{Sfn|Groening|2010|p=20}} In 1989, the shorts were adapted into ''The Simpsons'', a half-hour series airing on the [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox Network]]. Marge and the Simpson family remained the main characters on this new show.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lacitybeat.com/cms/story/detail/?id=568&IssueNum=32 |title=3rd Degree: Harry Shearer |access-date=October 30, 2008 |author=Kuipers, Dean |date=April 15, 2004 |publisher=Los Angeles: City Beat |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080605005153/http://www.lacitybeat.com/cms/story/detail/?id=568&IssueNum=32 |archive-date=June 5, 2008}}</ref>

Matt Groening believes that episodes featuring Marge are among the most difficult episodes to write. [[Bill Oakley]] believes that the "junior" writers are usually given Marge episodes because he and writing partner [[Josh Weinstein]] were given several to write during their first season.<ref>Groening, Matt; Oakley, Bill. (2004). Commentary for "[[Marge in Chains]]", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Fourth Season'' [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.</ref> During the third season of the show, most of the writers focused on Bart and Homer, so [[David M. Stern]] decided to write a Marge episode, which became "[[Homer Alone]]" ([[The Simpsons (season 3)|season three]], 1992). He felt that they could achieve a "deeper vein" of comedy in an episode where Marge has a nervous breakdown, and James L. Brooks quickly approved.<ref>[[David M. Stern|Stern, David M.]] in a letter that is read on the commentary by [[Dan Castellaneta]]. (2003). Commentary for "[[Lisa the Greek]]", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season'' [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.</ref>

===Design===
The entire Simpson family was designed so that they would be recognizable in silhouette.<ref>Groening, Matt. (2005). Commentary for "[[Fear of Flying (The Simpsons)|Fear of Flying]]", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Sixth Season'' [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.</ref> The family was crudely drawn, because Groening had submitted basic sketches to the animators, assuming they would clean them up; instead, they just traced over his drawings.<ref name="americasfirstfamily"/> To draw Marge, the animators generally start off with a sphere, similar to the way Lisa and Maggie are drawn. The eyes are then drawn, with one roughly in the middle of the sphere, and the other to the front side of the head. Then, the nose and lip are drawn. Her hair is then drawn on top as a long tube coming out of the sphere. An original idea the animators had for when Marge walked through doorways was that her hair would be forced down as she walked through, then once clear of the door, it would spring back and forth. This was never used.<ref>Archer, Wes; Groening, Matt; Kirkland, Mark. (2005). "A Bit From the Animators", Illustrated Commentary for "[[Summer of 4 Ft. 2]]", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Seventh Season'' [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.</ref> Groening's original plan for Marge's hair was that it would conceal large, ''Life in Hell''-esque rabbit ears. The gag was intended to be revealed in the final episode of the series, but was scrapped early on due to inconsistencies, and also to the fact that rabbit ears would be too fictitious even for ''The Simpsons''.<ref>Groening, Matt. (2004). Commentary for "[[Selma's Choice]]", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Fourth Season'' [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.</ref>

===Voice===
[[File:Simpsons voice actors (Julie Kavner crop).jpg|right|upright|thumb|[[Julie Kavner]]]]
Marge's voice is performed by [[Julie Kavner]], who also does the voices of Marge's mother Jacqueline and her sisters Patty and Selma. Kavner had been part of the regular cast of ''[[The Tracey Ullman Show]]''. Voices were needed for the shorts, so the producers decided to ask Kavner and fellow cast member [[Dan Castellaneta]] to voice Marge and Homer rather than hire more actors.<ref name="The Age">{{cite news |url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/02/27/1046064146568.html |title=D'oh, you're the voices |access-date=October 30, 2008 |date=February 27, 2003 |author=Lee, Luaine |work=[[The Age]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102224412/http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/02/27/1046064146568.html |archive-date=November 2, 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="FN">{{cite news |url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/doh-the-voice-of-homer-is-deceivingly-deadpan |title=D'oh!: The Voice of Homer Is Deceivingly Deadpan |access-date=October 30, 2008 |date=August 18, 2008 |author=Elber, Lynn |agency=Associated Press |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130703090128/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0%2C2933%2C129665%2C00.html |archive-date=July 3, 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> Part of Kavner's contract says that she will never have to promote ''The Simpsons'' on video and she rarely performs Marge's voice in public because she believes it "destroys the illusion. People feel these are real people."<ref name="Sheridan">{{cite news |title=Meet the Simpsons |date=May 6, 2004 |work=[[The Daily Telegraph (Sydney)|Daily Express]] |author=Sheridan, Peter}}</ref><ref name="Hamilton"/> Kavner takes recording sessions seriously and feels that voice acting is "a little more limiting than live acting. And I have nothing to do with my character's movement."<ref>{{cite news |title=Treading 'Water' Julie Kavner takes break from Marge Simpson to star in Woody Allen's TV Movie |date=September 18, 1994 |work=[[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]] |author=Weiskind, Ron}}</ref>

Marge's raspy voice is only slightly different from Kavner's, who has a "honeyed gravel voice"<ref>{{cite news |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CEFDF1F38F935A15752C0A964958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=1 |title=Darling! Listen to Me |access-date=November 23, 2008 |date=January 26, 1992 |author=De Vries, Hilary |work=[[The New York Times]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081209000856/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CEFDF1F38F935A15752C0A964958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=1 |archive-date=December 9, 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref> which she says is due to "a bump on [her] vocal cords."<ref>{{cite news |title=The actress with the one-of-a-kind voice stars in Nora Ephron's comedy 'This is my Life.' |date=March 13, 1992 |work=[[Orlando Sentinel]] |author=Haun, Harry}}</ref> While Marge is her most famous character, Kavner's favorite characters to voice are Patty and Selma because "they're really funny and sad at the same time."<ref name="Hamilton">{{cite news |title=Ay caramba!: Only TV could call this work |date=December 31, 1996 |work=[[The Hamilton Spectator]] |author=Duffy, Mike}}</ref> In ''[[The Simpsons Movie]]'', some scenes, such as Marge's video message to Homer, were recorded over one hundred times, leaving Kavner exhausted.<ref name=moviesonline>{{cite news|url=http://www.moviesonline.ca/movienews_12524.html |title=The Simpsons Movie Interviews |author=Roberts, Sheila |access-date=October 30, 2008 |publisher=Movies Online |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090104132905/http://www.moviesonline.ca/movienews_12524.html |archive-date=January 4, 2009 }}</ref> [[Kristen Bell]] provided Marge's singing voice in "[[The Star of the Backstage]]".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hughes |first=William|date=July 24, 2021|title=Kristen Bell to serve as Marge's new singing voice on The Simpsons premiere |url=https://www.avclub.com/kristen-bell-to-serve-as-marges-new-singing-voice-on-th-1847356532 |access-date=2022-04-22 |website=[[The A.V. Club]]}}</ref>

Until 1998, Kavner was paid $30,000 per episode. During a pay dispute in 1998, Fox threatened to replace the six main voice actors with new actors, going as far as preparing to cast new voices.<ref name=Glaister/> However, the dispute was soon resolved and she received $125,000 per episode until 2004 when the voice actors demanded that they be paid $360,000 an episode.<ref name=Glaister>{{cite news |url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/04/02/1080544690429.html |title=Simpsons actors demand bigger share |access-date=October 30, 2008 |date=April 3, 2004 |author=Glaister, Dan |work=The Age |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081202171844/http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/04/02/1080544690429.html |archive-date=December 2, 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref> The issue was resolved a month later,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/simpsons-cast-goes-back-to-work/ |title='Simpsons' Cast Goes Back To Work |access-date=October 30, 2008 |date=May 1, 2004 |publisher=[[CBS News]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080913212830/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/05/01/entertainment/main615066.shtml |archive-date=September 13, 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref> and Kavner earned $250,000 per episode.<ref name="Sheridan"/> After salary re-negotiations in 2008, the voice actors receive approximately $400,000 per episode.<ref>{{cite news |title=Simpsons cast sign new pay deal |work=BBC News |date=June 3, 2008 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7434296.stm |access-date=October 30, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080914050545/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7434296.stm |archive-date=September 14, 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref> Three years later, with Fox threatening to cancel the series unless production costs were cut, Kavner and the other cast members accepted a 30 percent pay cut, down to just over $300,000 per episode.<ref>{{cite news |last=Block |first=Alex Ben |title='The Simpsons' Renewed for Two More Seasons |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/simpsons-renewed-two-more-seasons-245748 |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |access-date=October 15, 2011 |date=October 7, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111010170625/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/simpsons-renewed-two-more-seasons-245748 |archive-date=October 10, 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Personality===
Marge is generally a stereotypical sitcom mother, and she also plays the "long-suffering wife" who puts up with the antics of her children and her oafish husband.{{sfn|Turner|2004|pp=239–240}} While she usually takes her family's problems with good humor, in "[[Homer Alone]]" ([[The Simpsons (season 3)|season three]], 1992), her workload and resultant stress caused her to have a nervous breakdown. After spending time at "Rancho Relaxo", during which her family barely coped with her absence, she returned refreshed and everyone promised to help out more often.<ref>{{cite episode |title=Homer Alone |episode-link=Homer Alone |series=The Simpsons |credits=Stern, David M.; Kirkland, Mark |network=Fox |airdate=February 6, 1992 |season=03 |number=15}}</ref>

Marge often provides a grounding opinion for Homer and their marriage has often been shaky. Marge admits that she "put[s] up with a lot in [their] marriage," and has left Homer or thrown him out of the house on several occasions.<ref name="Secrets">{{cite episode |title=Secrets of a Successful Marriage |episode-link=Secrets of a Successful Marriage |series=The Simpsons |credits=[[Greg Daniels|Daniels, Greg]]; Baeza, Carlos |network=Fox |airdate=May 19, 1994 |season=05 |number=22}}</ref><ref>{{cite episode |title=The Cartridge Family |episode-link=The Cartridge Family |series=The Simpsons |credits=Swartzwelder, John; [[Pete Michels|Michels, Pete]] |network=Fox |airdate=November 2, 1997 |season=09 |number=05}}</ref><ref>{{cite episode |title=Bonfire of the Manatees |episode-link=Bonfire of the Manatees |series=The Simpsons |credits=[[Dan Greaney|Greaney, Dan]]; Kirkland, Mark |network=Fox |airdate=September 11, 2005 |season=17 |number=01}}</ref> One of the first such episodes to depict this is "[[Secrets of a Successful Marriage]]" ([[The Simpsons (season 5)|season five]], 1994), where Homer starts teaching an education class on how to build a successful marriage. He is at first unsuccessful, but gains the interest of the class when he starts giving away family secrets, many of which concern Marge. Upon finding this out, Marge is incensed and throws him out of the house. The next day, Homer is dirty and disheveled, and begs Marge to take him back, saying the one thing he can offer her that nobody else can is "complete and utter dependence." At first, Marge does not see that as a benefit, but eventually admits that he "really [does] make a gal feel needed."<ref name="Secrets"/> Episodes that depict marital problems have become more frequent in recent seasons of the show.

Through it all, Marge has remained faithful to Homer, despite temptations to the contrary such as the one in "[[Life on the Fast Lane]]" ([[The Simpsons (season 1)|season one]], 1990), where she resists Frenchman Jacques and instead chooses to remain with Homer.<ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite episode |title=Life on the Fast Lane |episode-link=Life on the Fast Lane |series=The Simpsons |credits=Swartzwelder, John; Silverman, David |network=Fox |airdate=March 18, 1990 |season=01 |number=09}}</ref>
[[File:Marge - Good Night.png|left|200px|thumb|Marge in her first televised appearance in "Good Night".]]

Marge is more caring, understanding, and nurturing toward Bart than Homer, but she refers to him as "a handful" and is often embarrassed by his antics.<ref name="Defined"/> In "[[Marge Be Not Proud]]" ([[The Simpsons (season 7)|season seven]], 1995), she felt she was mothering Bart too much and started acting more distant towards him after he was caught shoplifting. In the beginning of the episode, Bart protested her "over-mothering", but as she started becoming distant, he felt bad about it and made up with her.<ref>{{cite episode |title=Marge Be Not Proud |episode-link=Marge Be Not Proud |series=The Simpsons |credits=[[Mike Scully|Scully, Mike]]; [[Steven Dean Moore|Moore, Steven Dean]] |network=Fox |airdate=December 17, 1995 |season=07 |number=11}}</ref> Marge has expressed understanding for her "special little guy" and has defended him on many occasions. She once said "I know Bart can be a handful, but I also know what he's like inside. He's got a spark. It's not a bad thing ... Of course, it makes him ''do'' bad things."<ref name="Defined">{{cite episode |title=Homer Defined |episode-link=Homer Defined |series=The Simpsons |credits=[[Howard Gewirtz|Gewirtz, Howard]]; Kirkland, Mark |network=Fox |airdate=October 17, 1991 |season=03 |number=05}}</ref>

Marge has a good relationship with Lisa and the two are shown to get along quite well. Marge over-mothers Maggie, which causes her to become too clingy and dependent on Marge.
Marge maintains a good relationship with her mother Jacqueline and her sisters Patty and Selma, though they disapprove of Homer and are vocal about it. Marge has tolerated their criticism, but has occasionally lost patience with them, once referring to them as "ghouls".<ref name=MotherSimpson>{{cite episode |title=Mother Simpson |episode-link=Mother Simpson |series=The Simpsons |credits=[[Richard Appel|Appel, Rich]]; [[David Silverman (animator)|Silverman, David]] |network=Fox |airdate=November 19, 1995 |season=07 |number=08}}</ref>

Marge's late father Clancy is rarely referred to in the series and has had speaking parts in only two episodes.<ref name=WayWeWas/> It was revealed in "[[Fear of Flying (The Simpsons)|Fear of Flying]]" ([[The Simpsons (season 6)|season six]], 1994) that Clancy told Marge that he was a pilot, but in reality, he was a flight attendant. Marge discovered this one day and developed [[Fear of flying|aerophobia]].<ref>{{cite episode |title=Fear of Flying |episode-link=Fear of Flying (The Simpsons) |series=The Simpsons |credits=[[David Sacks (writer)|Sacks, David]]; Kirkland, Mark |network=Fox |airdate=December 18, 1994 |season=06 |number=11}}</ref> In "[[Jazzy and the Pussycats]]" ([[The Simpsons (season 18)|season 18]], 2006), Homer casually mentions that they once attended his funeral.<ref>{{cite episode |title=Jazzy and the Pussycats |episode-link=Jazzy and the Pussycats |series=The Simpsons |credits=[[Daniel Chun|Chun, Daniel]]; Moore, Steven Dean |network=Fox |airdate=September 17, 2006 |season=18 |number=02}}</ref> It was finally revealed that Clancy died of lung cancer in season 27 episode "[[Puffless]]".<ref>{{cite episode |title=Puffless |episode-link=Puffless |series=The Simpsons |season=27 |number=03}}</ref>

Marge believes she has higher morals and is more law-abiding than most other characters, once leading a [[family values]] crusade against the violent ''[[The Itchy & Scratchy Show]]''<ref>{{cite episode |title=Itchy & Scratchy & Marge |episode-link=Itchy & Scratchy & Marge |series=The Simpsons |credits=Swartzwelder, John; [[Jim Reardon|Reardon, Jim]] |network=Fox |airdate=December 20, 1990 |season=02 |number=09}}</ref> and being a prominent member of the "Citizens' Committee on Moral Hygiene".<ref>{{cite episode |title=Bart After Dark |episode-link=Bart After Dark |series=The Simpsons |credits=Appel, Rich; Polcino, Dominic |network=Fox |airdate=November 24, 1996 |season=08 |number=05}}</ref> She often provides a voice of reason for the town itself, but many of the townspeople are frustrated or contemptuous of her failure to recognize or react correctly to breaches of social norms.<ref name="$pringfield">{{cite episode |title=$pringfield (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling) |episode-link=$pringfield (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling) |series=The Simpsons |credits=Oakley, Bill; Weinstein, Josh; Archer, Wes |network=Fox |airdate=December 16, 1993 |season=05 |number=10}}</ref>

Marge is the only member of the family who encourages, and often forces, church attendance. In "[[Homer the Heretic]]" ([[The Simpsons (season 4)|season four]], 1992), Homer starts skipping church and Marge tells him "don't make me choose between my man and my God, because you just can't win."<ref>{{cite episode |title=Homer the Heretic |episode-link=Homer the Heretic |series=The Simpsons |credits=[[George Meyer|Meyer, George]]; Reardon, Jim |network=Fox |airdate=October 8, 1992 |season=04 |number=03}}</ref> Yet, in some episodes, Marge's stereotypical attitude seems to affect her relationship with Lisa, who is a feminist.  In "[[Lisa the Skeptic]]" ([[The Simpsons (season 9)|season nine]], 1997), an "angel skeleton" is discovered, much to Lisa's skepticism. As Lisa rants about the people who believe it is an angel, Marge informs her that she also believes it is an angel. She tells Lisa, "There has to be more to life than just what we see, everyone needs something to believe in."<ref>{{cite episode |title=Lisa the Skeptic |episode-link=Lisa the Skeptic |series=The Simpsons |credits=[[David X. Cohen|Cohen, David S.]]; [[Neil Affleck|Affleck, Neil]] |network=Fox |airdate=November 23, 1997 |season=09 |number=08}}</ref>

In spite of her highly debatable moral stances, Marge struggles with vices, such as a gambling addiction.<ref name="$pringfield"/> While Marge has learned to cope with her addiction, it has never completely disappeared and remains an underlying problem that is referenced occasionally on the show.<ref>Reiss, Mike. (2003). Commentary for "[[Lisa the Greek]]", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season'' [DVD]. 20th Century Fox</ref>  Marge is also known to suffer [[OCD]] as shown when she won a house cleaning but she then cleaned the whole house herself and it thus led to her accidentally causing her to suffer [[Amnesia]]. Another time is when the family had to house sit for [[Mr. Burns]], she forced Lisa and herself to clean the entire mansion.

[[Politics in The Simpsons|Politically]], Marge generally aligns with the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]], having supported the candidacy of her state's progressive [[Governor (United States)|governor]] [[List of recurring The Simpsons characters#Mary Bailey|Mary Bailey]],<ref>{{cite episode |title=Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish |episode-link=Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish |series=The Simpsons |credits=Simon, Sam; Swartzwelder, John; Archer, Wes |network=Fox |airdate=November 1, 1990 |season=02 |number=04}}</ref> and voted for [[Jimmy Carter]] in both of his presidential elections.<ref name="Job"/> She was also deeply affected by the death of [[Lyndon B. Johnson]], to the point where she wanted him to be alive so badly that she kept seeing him everywhere she looked.